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Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Cruciferious is a fancy name for the family of vegetables known to botanists as Cruciferae or alternately, Brassicaceae.Like most other vegetables, cruciferous vegetables are good sources of a variety of nutrients and phytochemicals that may work synergistically to help prevent cancer.Read more about it here.For Health Nut Challenge 5 lets get cooking with the crucial to the diet,Cruciferious veggies. Here are 2 simple steps to participate in the challenge :

1.Create a uniquely healthy side dish,soup,salad or main entree ,with one or more of the following Cruciferious vegetables :

2.Leave the link of your post in the comments section(by April 30th) while also mentioning in your post about the Health nut challenge.Old entries can be recycled,I just need the different ideas to incorporate these vegetables in everyday cooking.

Cauliflower TabboulehOften times I have to think beyond curries to get my family interested in eating vegetables.The tabbouleh is an earthy Middle eastern salad made with bulgur,cucumber and lots of parsley.Cauliflower further enhances the nutrition of the salad.I add preserved lemons for a tangy bite to the salad.

MethodBring 2 cups of water to a boil,add salt and bulgur wheat.Cook until tender about 15-20 minutes,drain excess water.Coarsely grind the cauliflower,garlic and parsley in a food processor.Heat oil in a pan on medium,saute onion and cumin seeds for a minute,add the ground cumin and processed cauliflower mixture.Cook only for 4-5 minutes until tender.Mix in the cooked bulgur wheat.Turn off the heat and mix in the preserved lemons.Serve warm or cold on a bed of dark leafy greens like romaine lettuce or kale.

Moroccan Preserved LemonsThe preserved lemons are an quint essential relish of Moroccan cooking.The pickled lemons add a delicious tang to any salad,stew or entree.Recipe adapted from Alia's Moroccan cooking video.Ingredients6 fresh lemons,rinsed1/4 cup of salt1 sterilized jar that can fit all the lemons

MethodStep 1 Cut off any stems of the lemons.Using a sharp knife cut vertically, not all the way to the bottom,make sure the base is still attached.Turn the lemon upside down.Cut again vertically while keeping the base intact.Step 2. Use a teaspoon and stuff about 1/2 teaspoon of salt on each of the slit of the lemon.Repeat with rest of the lemons.Place in a sterilized jar,make sure all lemon are snug in the jar.Sprinkle another teaspoon of salt over the top.Step 3 Keep in a dark cool corner of the house for 4 days.Then remove only to check if the juices have started to flow out in the lemons.Return to the corner and keep another month until lemons are all soft and pickled.Every week in between ,swirl the bottle to make sure all the lemons are submerged in juices.Once pickled can be store in refrigerator for up to 3 months.Before using,discard seeds, rinse in cold water to remove the excess salt.Dice or slice,use in salads ,stews,tagines or Whole grain entrees.

What a coincidence. I am preparing a traditional Cypriot recipe today using cauliflower. It's quite a "tricky" recipe, so if it works I will surely participate.Your tabbouleh sounds very interesting to try and preserved lemons is something I have been planning to make for quite a long time. When I get some organic lemons shall surely make it.

I liked your Cauliflower Tabbouleh recipe so much I have passed it along to several friends. I love the way you used fresh lemons. Where we live we don't have ready access to fresh lemons so I order them online at http://www.buy-lemons-online.com/ which delivers fresh lemons picked right off the tree and shipped direct. I just went to the the website and I notice that they also have Moroccan Preserved Lemons. A question I have regarding your recipe is what kind of lemons do you use? Eureka lemons? Or Lisbon lemons? Also, do you have any recipes for Sweet Meyer Lemons?Thanks a million for these terrific tipsT3

Dear Yasmeen,A very healthy collection of recipes.I love cruciferous veggies and would like to participate in the event.I am reposting recipes in the archive for this event.Please find them here:http://kiranjay.blogspot.com/2010/03/reposting-for-event-participation.html

Hi Yasmeen,I could not find the comment that I wrote earlier showing my interest in participation for this event and I reposted my entries and pasted the URL with the comment.I am writing back to you again to make sure you received my recipe url with my previous comment.Please let me know if you received it or not.If not I will resend.

Hi Yasmeen,I will defiantly send u some entries.Cauliflower Tabbouleh looks delish and so do the preserved lemons.I am hosting AWED African this month and if u are interested u can send in preserved lemons for my event..

waow, this cauliflower tabbouleh looks delicious and it is a brilliant & creative idea for a pic-nic or summer dinner!Here is my entry for the Crucial Cruciferous challenge: A cabbage and tofu "millefeuille".http://sweetartichoke.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/cabbage-and-tofu-millefeuille-cake/

Is there any difference in the health properties of preserved lemons vs. fresh lemons? Also, in terms of flavor and healthiness does it matter whether they are Lisbon lemons, Eureka lemons or Meyer lemons?Thanks,CavChatsworth, CA

Yasmeen

Peace and Blessings!. This blog is all about discovering natures best food. Preparing food using the best that nature has gifted. If you haven't been eating right then make changes in your diet using nature's best food. Spend an extra buck and travel a extra mile to find the nature's best ingredients. You'll love this change you made. Let the healthy journey begin....learn more about me